Laser Interference Processing

Previous chapters deal mostly with the processing of materials with a single beam of laser (as in drilling, cutting) or with multiple beams from different laser sources (as in laser shaping). Novel material processing methods can be developed based on the interference patterns produced by the superposition of two or more laser beams. Historically, interference phenomena have been the means of establishing the wave nature of light and have found significant practical applications in spectroscopy and metrology (Born and Wolf 1980). Recently, the interference phenomena have been utilized for the surface processing of materials in a wide range of applications such as micromachining and biomedical applications. Laser interference processing is a relatively new technique finding increased utilization in the areas of extended-area surface processing of materials. This chapter briefly discusses the theory and the applications of laser interference phenomena in surface processing of materials.